shantytown

/ˌʃæntiˈtaʊn/

/ˈʃæntitaʊn/

Other forms: shantytowns

A shantytown is a makeshift settlement established by impoverished people. India, Pakistan, and Mexico all currently have fairly large shantytowns.

A shanty is a rough dwelling, a word that derives from Scottish Gaelic roots meaning "old" and "house." A community made up of shanties, built from foraged materials like wood, metal, and cardboard, and inhabited by people experiencing homelessness and poverty, is a shantytown. Most of them are found in developing countries, but thousands of Americans lived in shantytowns during the Great Depression, and wealthy cities including Madrid and Los Angeles are home to shantytowns today.

Definitions of shantytown

1. noun

   a city district inhabited by people living in huts and shanties
   type of:

   slum, slum area

   a district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions